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I’m having a sick day today…not in the usual sense.  I’m sick of Sarah Palin.  I wish the media would stop covering her incoherent speeches.  I’m sick of the Republicans dismissing what is best for the people and playing everything by partisan politics.  Health care for everyone is critical.  If other countries can do it why can’t the United States.  I’m sick of the party of NO… NO stimulus, NO health care, NO help for the automakers, NO clean environment, NO end to the war, NO on a very qualified Judge Sotomayor appointment to the Supreme Court, NO working together to get things/anything done.  I’m sick of the insurance company getting between me and my doctor.  I had to get “permission” from my insurance company before I could schedule an MRI for an aortic  aneurysm!  I’m sick of those ignorant “birthers”.  What racists idiots they are. Will we ever get past all this hatred? I thought these people were supposed to be Christians.  Let’s see who was it that said love ye one another…was that Jesus?  I’m sick of all the discussion about the professor Gates, the Boston police and President Obama.  Yelling in your own house is not disorderly conduct.  Black men who have been mistreated and disrespected by law enforcement across this country for years know exactly how he felt.  And yes, what the cop did was in arresting him was STUPID.  I could continue by discussing the ignorant representative from Michigan who is trying to pass legislation to make the president apologize, but I won’t. Is that stupid or what?  All the work that needs to be done on the economy and health care and this fool is wasting time on sh– like this. One of the first things black parents teach their sons when they learn to drive is how to act when the police stop you because it’s going to happen…guaranteed whether you are doing something wrong or not.  I’m sick of Rush Limbaugh, Pat Buchanan and Lou Dobbs.  I’m sick of the lies told on Fox so called news.  Is there a pill for this? Never mind it’s probably cost prohibitive.

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July, 1969…It’s the fortieth anniversary of the Appollo landing on the moon. ”The Eagle has landed.”  Boomers? Do you know where you were when they said those words? I was with my fiance at a friend’s home in Michigan.  We were glued to the small screen TV set watching the whole thing half the night.  Amazing then, seems like no big deal today!  Of course there are still some folks who don’t believe it ever happened to this day.  By the way my husband and I will celebrate our fortieth anniversary August 2nd.  I can’t believe it’s been this long.  I can’t believe we’re this OLD!  Weren’t we just in college a few years ago?  Any other boomers having the same thoughts?  Talk to me…

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I hate using blog space to talk about Sarah Palin but I just can’t help myself this time.  She has set the pace of women back centuries with her run as Vice President and now resigning as governor of Alaska.  Am I wrong or does this look bad for women in general?  Was is it?  She can’t do the job or it got “tooooo haarrrd”?  She can’t make up her mind?  She wants to make a lot of money so to hell with the people who elected her to do a job in Alaska?  She’s just plain nuts? I know, she needs the time to do a lot of studying before her run for president in 2012.  Bottom line is she QUIT.  She’s a quitter!  I wouldn’t elect her dog catcher if she should run for anything again.  That pre-resignation speech was incoherent and gave no sound reason for her departure.  Let me hear from my boomer divas what you think.

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So much has happened this week it’s hard to know where to start… Governor Sanford, global warming bill passes, passing of Farrah Fawcett, shocking death of Michael Jackson. Can someone tell me why the Republicans continue to say they are the party of family values, the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, no premarital sex, etc. when they can’t even live up to those standards themselves?  I am so tired of the hypocrisy!  I hope the global warming bill actually leads to greener lifestyles and green jobs.  What can anyone say about Farrah… those teeth!  that hair!  She was an icon in her era.  Farewell to one who fought a very brave battle with cancer. And Michael Jackson…was it really his time?  He was a man beyond super stardom and a musical genius but still tormented, insecure and unhappy who finally succumbed to the “give ‘em whatever they want” culture of  Hollywood.  And so we begin again…after all tomorrow is another day.

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Is summer finally here?  How do you know when you live in the Chicago area? Is it the sun you may see every third day, the rain, flowers?  The grass is indeed greener.  Maybe that’s it.  Can’t tell by the school kids.  The bus is still picking them up every morning, albeit fewer in number.  The concerts have started in Grant Park.  The Blues was just last weekend.  How’d they do that without KoKo Taylor?  Remember summers as a kid?  We didn’t grow up with central air conditioning.  It was so hot at night you prayed for a breeze from the window or maybe from the hall fan which tried unsuccessfully to cool three bedrooms a once.  You could hear the crickets screaming in the backyard and watch fireflies as they thumped into the screen. Remember turning the pillow over so your head could feel the cool side?  Now that was summer!  Is there another boomer with a summer memory to share?

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Anybody else out there sick of Republicans making a big deal out of the President’s night out with his wife in New York?  Where were they when George Bush was taking vacation after vacation in Texas?  He took more time off than any other president.  Obama is working extremely hard to put this government, our economy, our health care and image abroad back in order.  He and Michelle deserve a night out for goodness sake. I for one have no problem with it.  He has a family! Stop the fake outrage.

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Is anyone else, fellow boomers out there feeling that time is moving too fast?  I just lost a dear friend this past week.  She died suddenly and was only 61.  How do we say goodbye when we don’t have a chance to say goodbye… when we don’t really want to say goodbye.  I keep picturing her smile, her voice, wondering if she felt pain, loneliness in those last moments.  We’ve all experienced death of friends, family, co-workers, but sometimes it just feels too close.  Life is precious and we don’t get a “do over” so tell your friends you love them today. Tomorrow may be too late.

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There are many people in our lives, I like to think, that serve a purpose whether it be immediately recognizable or not. I’ve found that as I have navigated through my life, that relationships are at the center of everything that happens.   I’ve just returned from an annual trip to Phoenix, Arizona with nine girl friends.  Our “waiting to exhale” weekend has morphed into a “waiting to exhale, ya ya sisterhood, Phoenix Phillies whole week of fun, food, exploration and shopping.  I must admit we did our best to stimulate the economies of Phoenix and Sedona.  Girl friends are with you through good times and bad.  They support you through bad relationships, ailing parents, marriages, job loss, a crazy boss, disappointments with children, forgotten promises.  They love you even if they disagree with your choices.  Girl friends become even more important as you age. So choose wisely.  I know I did!

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Earth week begins this week.  Our village held it’s annual Arbor Day celebration last Friday by planting a Red Bud tree.  We had the help of about 30 of the cutest preschoolers.  Talk about fun! Of course we should be looking for ways to change our habits and attitudes to preserve the earth every week.  I’m using less plastic, especially the bags from stores.  I take my own now.  I have to leave them in the car to remember.  Old habits are hard to break! I’ve got biodegradable garbage bags too.  And I’m really trying not to use or at least reuse those plastic water bottles.  Tell me…what are you doing on behalf of the planet?

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Do you remember growing up and helping your mother do “spring cleaning”? It was a time we sorted through old clothes that no longer fit, cleaned closets, dusted places that hadn’t been touched all winter, did a little touch up painting, etc.  As an adult my spring cleaning used to happen over the summer.  That’s when I had the most time since I was a teacher in my first career.  Now that I’m semi retired I have tried to clean, toss and review for tossing every Thursday.  Garbage pick up is Fridays. 

This year I’m going to do a 21st century spring clean up next week.  Notice I didn’t say starting TODAY! I have over 2650 emails in my in basket, some dating back almost five years. Do I really need to save all that?  I have over 2900 emails in my sent box.  Good grief!  I intended to put some of these “priceless” emails in folders.  That didn’t happen so I must not need them, right?  Did I mention I have 3 different emails to clean up? Anything that’s not related to my business, Emersonstreet Books, is history!  I’m lying…but it feels organizing to say it.

I have a second book that should be published by summer and a third book that’s finished and needs an agent.  Have I started my marketing plan?  No. Well it’s in stacks of ideas on my desk, the floor and card table in my office.  That will also be how I spend Spring Break next week.  It’s time to update my list too. And my website needs an overhaul.

Whew! That won’t leave much time for sorting, dusting, painting and fixing up.  And I sooo wanted to get into those closets.